Jefferson's Point
by Ryan Armstrong
Summary: There are two types of people that become Power Rangers: Those who deserve to become a Ranger, and those who need to become a Ranger.
1. Episode 1: Road to Redemption Part 1

"I just doesn't make any kind of sense, that's all I'm saying."

"You're absolutely right," came a sarcastic retort, "I mean geez, its not like we can't just be happy everything is over, and done with."

"It doesn't happen like this, they never just disappear."

"Look, everything is quiet now. Do you have any idea how nice it is to sleep through the night without alarms going off, and wondering if you're going to actually live through the day? The city is a safe place again, and thanks to that whole episode, even the crime rate is down. I know you looked up to them Tim, but geez, it's almost like you're on a borderline obsession, or something."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you Susan, I don't think it is over." A guy and a girl. It's sometimes as simple as that. It's how most stories began. Two people, one male, and one female, standing somewhere talking about something, and slowly the story begins around that conversation. Now it's not that conversation that starts that story, more over the story probably started long before, its just that's where we tend to start watching the story.

These two, are where this story starts, and unlike others, its not the normal story you know. The two people for instance, are by no by no means normal. Take Susan for instance. Susan is what you would call cute, not beautiful, just cute. She's quite the girl next door, maybe the girl that's a couple houses down, but the most remarkable thing about her, is her courage. When she was ten she stood up to the biggest bully in the school yard…and broke his arm. At fifteen, while many of her friends were joining the cheerleading squad, she took up a slightly different hobby which she showed off at half time during school games…sky diving. There was nothing cooler than watching her paraglide onto the field wearing the school's colors. When she was eighteen, she was one of the youngest female drivers in the local Destruction Derby, something she usually one. At twenty one though, she had backed off of all the crazy stuff, and the only thing she usually did now, was take on a lot of the local pool sharks at the local bar. Her cuteness helped, what with her brown locks that dropped a little past her shoulders, and her tan skin, and slightly exotic eyes, she definitely stood out in a small crowd. Of course most of the guys tended to look a little lower then her face when they lined up their shots, a fact she very well knew, and tended to capitalize on. That's how she had met her current boyfriend Tim. He might have lost to her on more than one occasion.

Tim on the other hand was slightly more attractive then your average guy. He had that whole shaggy hair slash I could probably pass as one of the Carter brothers deal going for him. His six foot stature, and slightly better than decent build helped him pull more than most when it came to girls, but Susan had caught his eye, especially when he had heard about the skydiving moments. Tim though was not one to take as much of a chance as his significant other. He was more reserved when it came to risks, but there were a few other things that he tended to be less reserve in. Tim was a dreamer, someone who had spent most of his life wondering what it was like to be someone else, maybe someone who could be great, or a hero even. But unlike other dreamers of his time, Tim went the extra mile and spent time trying to prepare himself to do great things. He spent a good deal in high school learning how to practice self control, and mental discipline. The art of meditation became a great friend to him, especially when his older sisters decided that playing music late into the night, at high levels, when they lived next door to him, was a great idea. He trained his body too, for physical endurance and stamina, and on occasion, in certain forms of defense, and combat. His greatest accomplishment came though when he was seventeen, and won the Bushido open at his local dojo, though there were some that thought maybe it was best to take his sword away when he accidentally cut the trophy he won in half.

"It's been two months since we've seen any of those crazy robot monster things that always attacked before the monsters," said Susan. "Two months since a huge crazy monster has towered over the city trying to bring it down Godzilla style. It has been two quiet months since any of this has happened, thank god for that. It has to be over."

"I'm just saying look at historic trends. Dark Spectre's forcers were defeated in all out epic battle with the fate of the world in the balance," Tim explained. "Mariner Bay saw the destruction of the Lightspeed Rescue facility and a whole bunch of megazords. What about Silver Hills, or Reefside seeing an increase in activity, or even the rumors from Briarwood that there was this huge good versus evil battle with magic before it went all quiet there."

"So what you're upset that Jefferson's Point didn't have some apocalyptic battle of good and evil that might have leveled the city?" asked Susan.

"No!" Tim exclaimed, "of course not. I'm just saying the only thing that happened was it just went silent. One day there was a battle, and the next we know, the Rangers are gone, no sign, no nothing, just up and vanished." He snapped his fingers to add definition to his point. "Doesn't that seem weird."

"No," said Susan, turning and smiling at him, amused by the building obsession he was demonstrating. "It's just good that its over."

"Why are you smiling?" he asked her.

"I just wished you'd show this much enthuasim in me sometimes that's all," she returned, folding her arms in front of her.

Tim rolled his eyes, and wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close to him so that he could hold her. He knew she wasn't upset with him, just joking so they could change subject or something. "I get it. You want me to shut up." He could feel her head rested on his chest, and the sound of her giggling raced up to his ears.

"Look, I know how much the Rangers meant to you," she told him. "Its no secret you looked up to them and everything, but sometimes these things just end, you have to let them go." She pulled away, and looked up at him again, the tone in her eyes serious.

"Alright," he said, "I'll let it go. For now." A bird cried over head, and the two of them looked up to see it overhead. They watched it from the wharf they stood on, as it overlooked the river bank they were looking out from, and to the other bank which held the taller buildings in the city. Unlike the towns on the West Coast in the past, Jefferson's point was one of the first towns on the East Coast to ever have its first Ranger team, and the city, to a point was very proud of that fact. Like most Eastern cities, Jefferson's Point sat on a river, slightly inland from a major body of water, because for some crazy reason during the early days of colonialism, this was usually the best way to defend cities like that. Tim had been right though, the Rangers had just vanished. They had only been on the scene for five months, just appearing out of nowhere one day, like most team of Rangers do. The city went about its business one day, and then boom, screaming, panic, and people running as this large creature in what looked like a Hollywood costume, and theatrical makeup arrived with these strange goons that were a cross between monster and robot. Next thing you know, when the police can't do anything to stop it, five people show up in multicolored suits, wearing helmets, and sporting shiny weapons show up. Green, Yellow, Blue, Black, and of course Red appeared on the scene. Throw in some amazing moves, and a bunch of giant robots, and suddenly a new team of Rangers are born, and the city's expenditures in repairs suddenly goes through the roof. But now that was over, and everything had gone back to normal. That was Tim, and Susan's life now, normal.

For Tim though, that meant his dream of becoming the ultimate form of what he wanted to be, a hero, had been quashed for the moment. No more Rangers meant there was no longer a chance for him to live that out, which meant he had been somewhat depressed for some time now, a note of which Susan had made a couple of weeks before.

"Alright tough guy," said Susan, "you need to get back to class."

"I know," he said, turning around to face the community college behind him. "I'm sorry I wasted all our time together whining." He spun back around to her, and he could tell by the look on her face that it hadn't mattered to her.

"It's alright," she told him. "We both know how much of a cry baby you are."

"The biggest," he said, as he leaned in to give her a peck on the lips.

"Just don't leave me to change those diapers," she whispered back, as their kiss broke.

"Why I thought you loved looking at my butt?" he asked her, as he slowly trotted backwards towards the building.

"Not as much as you like looking at mine," she called back to him as he slowly began to drift out of earshot range. She smile as she watched him go, pleased that she was with someone that had a decent sense of humor that meshed with hers. She took one last look at him as he spun around to see where he was going, before she too turned and walked away along the wharf. She didn't attend school, but instead spent most of her afternoon and early night working, sometimes as a waitress, sometimes as a bartender at one of the bars downtown, and right now she had to hurry if she was going to make the bus to get there on time.

Tim's walk to class for the most part was short and sweet, and he found himself in a room for the next hour with a man standing in the front of the room lecturing about the history of Western Civilization. Why the twenty one year old Tim had waited to his last year of college to take the course is anyone's guess, but for the girl that came in sat down next to him, it was because of the guy sitting next to her. "Hey Tim." Her voice was playful, and flirtatious at the same time, with plenty of innuendo thrown in for good measure. Her smile was sweet, but at the same time far from innocent.

"Hey Abby," was Tim's reply as he sat down in his seat, though it was with a good deal less enthusiasm then what she had presented him with. This story could have easily have started with this guy, and the girl that sat next to him, for when the Rangers first appeared the two of them were together, or at least that is what Abby considered them. Unlike Susan, Abby was more than cute. She was as many guys would describe on first glance, hot. Though their description was a bit abrupt, it did some up Abigail Tyler in a manner. She was quite beautiful, standing a little shorter than Susan, her most noticeable feature was her fiery red hair that came down just to her shoulders that seemed to attract many to her side. Her eyes were soft green to match, and she had a classic freckled skin to match. Her figure though set off her hair, and she might be described as the cheerleader type, strong and athletic. She had been after Tim for some time, and before he had met Susan, they had dated briefly, but Tim found that she was less to his liking, being more passionate about clothing trends, and lifestyles than he was necessarily for. Unlike Tim, and Susan, Abby's most interesting ability was her talent of looking into other people, and figuring out how they worked. Most of the time this power was used for less than good purposes, especially when it came to certain men, but sometimes it could be a force for good, like when she led the campaign to save one of the trees in the park from demolition…though some say it matched the color of her purse that day.

"You're running a little late," she said to him, as he took out his notebook and sat it on the desk. "Car trouble?" Tim took a quick look over her to see her dressed in what looked like a pale yellow top that was sort of like a dress to him, and a pair of jeans, which was beginning to be typical for the early spring weather they were now having in the east.

"No," he replied, "just spending a little time with Susan."

"Oh," was her only reply, though the abruptness that she delivered it with indicated her displeasure with the mention of what she considered her rival for Tim's affections. There was silence though for the remainder of the period as teacher began to delve into his lecture.

Susan's day began to get less quiet than she wanted though, as her bus trip, was ended rather sooner than she expected. Thankfully she had made the bus in time though, and it had carried her over the bridge, and into the downtown area of Jefferson's Point. She didn't always like taking the bus, especially with some of the strange people you sometimes found on public transportation, ones like the middle aged, scruffy looking man that was ogling her from the other side of the bus at the moment. It was people like that tended to her wish she had her own car at times, but that simply wasn't the fact of the matter. She was only glad that most of the time Tim was able to pick her up and give her a lift to and fro at times. She felt very lucky to have met a guy like him several months. It wasn't the easy first few dates, but they had come a long way since then.

The bus was supposed to take her to her job in the city center, but after making it halfway into the city, she was alarmed to find out that it was not going to make it all the way in. "Sorry folks," cried the driver from the front. "End of the line." Several of the occupants expressed their dissatisfaction at this turn of events, some with profanity, but as it was, they had no choice but disembark from the vehicle. "Sorry, the bus needs to be turned in for service."

"Great," said Susan under her breath, as she stepped off the bus. Being cute, she tended to draw only a little attention in her leather jacket, and jeans combo. Most people tended to mistake her for a super bike chick the way the jacket looked on her, but she was nothing of the sort, although she had considered it several times as a means of transportation. Looking at the street signs, she realized that she was still a good number of blocks from work, but was quite thankful it was still light out. Taking a deep breath, she began trudging her way to work.

If she had stayed to the main streets, and not tried to take short cuts, this story might never have been told, because there simply would be nothing to tell, but this was not the path Susan took. See if you go back, and reread the beginning you'll remember that Susan's greatest part about her is her courage, which means that if its light out, and your in the city, strange alleyways are not much of a problem for you, so using them as a short cut is entirely an option. She had only a moment's hesitation as she turned down the one, and then the moment passed, and she trudge on. It was one of those alleys in the middle of the block where it meant another alley somewhere in the middle, and as she moved down it, she became nervous that something might suddenly emerge from one of the alleyways. Her fears it seemed were well founded.

A guy perhaps a little older than she came barreling out of the alley, his one hand clutching his right arm. His footing became lost, and he fell to the ground, skidding across a puddle and into a wall. His hair was dark and short, and face looked dirty, like he had taken a slide through some mud, and frankly the puddle hadn't helped. His clothes had burn marks on them, and the denim jacket he wore seemed to have holes in it were it was burned through. Susan's initial response was one of doubt, and uncertainty, but as the guy collapsed against the wall, her hesitation vanished and she rushed over to him. "Are you alright?"

The collapsed guy let out a groan, and as she kneeled down beside him, she could see the cuts and bruises on his face. He coughed as he lied there, but slowly he managed the strength to spin slightly and look at her. "Get out of here."

The warning was curt, and to the point, and for a moment she considered it, but again she brushed back her hesitation, and slowly reached down to take a hold of him. "We need to get you to a hospital." Too weak to fight back, he couldn't resist as he was slowly hoisted up by the smaller girl, and propped up, his legs barely supporting his strength anymore. "C'mon."

"Leave me," he told her, his voice deep, but hoarse. "Just go."

Finally getting into a motion that she could get used to, she slowly turned back the way she came, and told him, "Sorry buddy, that's not my style." She barely finished the words when she completed her turn and stared back the way she came from, only to see that it was no longer empty. Standing there were four creatures. The robot monster creatures she was talking about earlier with Tim. Her first reaction was to scream from fear, but she suppressed it quickly as she slowly let her fear overwhelm her for an instant, and then pushed it aside, just like before she jumped out of a plane. "Friends of yours?"

"Run," he told her, as the creatures slowly began to stalk towards the two humans. The creatures were very much humanoid, and stood like men, their gait much the same as hunters as they stalked towards there prey, the being wore skin that was astonishingly black, almost as dark as the void of space. Running across it were yellow, green, and red lines, almost like a grid across its body. It had no face, only depressions were certain features should have been, like eyes, and a mouth. It made no sound, silent besides the movement of its body.

Susan was unsure of what to do. Every instinct she had told him to drop the guy, and run, but something deeper inside her made her hold onto him, and stand there. Something told her that the guy she was holding, barely able to stand was in someway important, she just didn't know why yet. "I'm not going to leave you."

"You might want to cover your eyes then," he suggested as he slowly raised his good arm that had been clutching his bad one. In his hand was something she hadn't seen before just now, for it took the form of some futuristic gun, and as he leveled it, the creatures in front of him seemed to freeze, just like she had when they had appeared. He didn't let them off with a choice though, as he squeezed the trigger, and a bolt of azure colored energy raced from the barrel, and into the shoulders of one of the creatures sending it to the ground. The other three took on a much more defensive position, but the guy dropped his arm, his strength fading. Reaching for the weapon, Susan grabbed it, letting go of the guy for a moment, letting him slip off her and to the ground. The three were nearly upon her, but she managed to take the blaster away from the guy, and level it. She could have been the worst marksmen in the history of men, but when she finally squeezed the trigger, she wouldn't have missed a flea at that range. The squeezes were repeated as the weapon discharged and the energy traveled from it into the creatures, each falling to the ground as sparks shot from them. Even as the three lay on the ground, she continued squeezing the trigger at the fallen creatures, making sure they would not be getting back up. Certain of their fate, she stopped, standing motionless over the creatures, looking at what she had done. Fear, and panic almost caused her to drop the weapon, but again she held onto it, and then turned to see the guy lying on the ground. Quickly she rushed back to his side, and picked him up, still holding the blaster. Slowly she pulled him from the alley, and back into the main area of the city, putting everything she had just seen out of her mind, all her strength going into moving him.

Tim moved slowly out of the classroom with Abby right on his feet. This was the usual routine, so Tim had already mentally prepped himself for this outcome. His movement was quick, but not too quick, because he didn't want to piss Abby off. She'd walk closely beside him, and banter on about something he could care less about, but she never really got the hint that he wasn't listening to him. He just trodded along in his jeans, button down shirt, and wool jacket, his hand holding onto the strap of his messenger bag that was slung across his chest. It was the banter that he was growing used to from Abby that caused him almost to miss the ringing of his phone. At the last second though he managed to hear it, and removed it from his pocket. Flipping it opened he answer it, "Hello?"

The voice on the other end belonged to Susan, and she sounded distress. "Tim, I need you to come quick."

"Susan?" he responded back into the handset, "where are you?"

"Um, I'm at a café at 4th and South," she said. "Get here fast." There was a click on the other line, and then his cell phone ended the call. He closed his phone with a confused look on his face, one that Abby immediately picked up on.

"Who was that?" she asked him curiously, having stopped talking when he picked up his phone.

"Susan," said Tim hurrying his pace, "I think she's in trouble."

"What do you mean she's in trouble?" asked Abby back.

"She sounded distressed, and told me to meet her somewhere immediately," responded Tim. "I'm sorry but I gotta go." He hurried off down the corridor, and then down a flight of stairs to the ground floor. He started to go for the main doors when he felt a presence next to him. Thinking he was alone, he was surprised to see Abby still moving with him. "Where did you come from?"

"I took the elevator silly," she responded. "I'm coming with you."

"Yeah that's a bad idea," said Tim, not stopping to talk, and moving down the sidewalk to the parking lot. "You know what Susan thinks of you."

"Look if someone is hurt, maybe I can help," she replied. "I am a nursing major after all." They had made it to the parking lot in record time, and Tim unlocked the door to his Dodge pickup truck, tossing his bag into the bed, with Abby doing the same on her side. The truck was bigger than normal with having a full backseat, at the cost of having a reduced bed. It had been a present for him for his high school graduation. He started the truck up, and it roared to life with its loud eight cylinder, and then shifting the transmission into gear, the two took off towards the city.

Just as Susan hung up the cell phone, she returned it to her pocket, and slowly put a hand on the face of the guy in front of her, who she knelt in front of by the café. She had called an ambulance, as well as Tim, but she had a good feeling that Tim would probably get here first. She could feel from his skin that he was burning up probably from a fever, and she could through his clothing that he was bleeding underneath his shirt. Those creatures had obviously given him a through thrasing, but she still didn't know why. But at her touch, he slowly began to return to consciousness, and groaned softly. Looking into his slowly opening eyes, she could see the soft hue of brown, which was different to the blue eyes she was used to looking into that were attached to Tim. He coughed as he came to, and tried, in vain, to cover his mouth. She shushed him, and said, "It's alright you're safe."

"No," said the guy, "I have to keep moving. Not safe."

"It's alright," she replied. "Listen, my name is Susan. Remember from the alley?"

He coughed again, and then nodded softly, "Yeah. Garrett."

"Garrett," she said repeating it again. "Nice to meet you. Can you tell me why those creatures were chasing you?"

He shook his head and coughed again. He sat there motionless for several minutes, the silence passing between the two uneventfully. Occasionally Susan would look around the area to make sure none of those other creatures had shown up while her back was turned. Eventually it was the screeching of tires that caught her attention, as she saw a Dodge pickup come to a quick halt nearby. Tim, and one of her least favorite people jumped out.

"Susan, what's wrong?" asked Tim as he jumped out of the pickup and headed over to his girlfriend, and the guy now known as Garrett.

Ignoring Abby's presence as she joined the other three, Susan looked right at Tim and told him, "You were right, it wasn't over."

"What are you talking about?" asked Tim, as he looked at Garrett.

"Move," said Abby pushing them both aside, as she moved into check Garrett's vitals.

"What's she doing here?" asked Susan.

"That's a long story," said Tim his voice rising slightly in frustration, "maybe it would be better if you started with yours, and then I'll tell you mine."

"Those robot monsters attacked us," Susan informed her boyfriend, "I think they were after him."

"And who is he?" asked Tim.

"His name is Garrett," replied Susan softly.

"His pulse is erratic," announced Abby. "And he has some bad injuries too, there's some pretty severe bleeding. I need to put pressure on it to stop the bleeding. Does anyone have like a cloth or something."

Susan looked around, and then walked over to one of the tables, and ripped off the table cloth, and tossed it to Abby. The other girl caught it, offering a playful smirk, and then turned back to Garrett. Susan turned to her boyfriend, and announced in a somewhat jealous tone, "And her?"

"She's a nursing student," said Tim, offering the best explanation he could come up with, "I thought she could help." Susan was not satisfied by the answer, and crossed her arms under her chest. Tim shook his head in annoyance, and asked, "Why were they after him?"

"I don't know," replied Susan. "But he was carrying some pretty serious firepower." She tossed the blaster she had recovered to Tim who caught it and looked at it.

"Where did this come from?" he asked her.

"He was carrying it," she replied. "Careful its still loaded….or whatever."

"You all need to go," offered a once again conscious Garrett, his eyes slowly flicking open. Slowly he found the strength to put his hands on the arms of the chair, and slowly pull himself up as Abby slowly backed away from her patient. "Get out of here before its not safe."

"That's all he keeps saying," reported Susan.

"Before what's not safe?" asked Tim, looking at the very distressed Garrett.

"I think he means them!" exclaimed Abby as she pointed down the street, past all of them. The other three turned to look, and there as before were the same "robot monsters" as Susan had described them, their strange alien forms moving towards the four of them, but this time there were a lot more. They had become a small pack, and the people between them and the group were screaming and hurrying to get out of the way.

"I don't want to even hear I told you so," exclaimed Susan as she grabbed the blaster from Tim.

Tim for his part took up a defensive stance between him and Garrett, his fist raised and ready for combat. "Believe, I really don't want to be right, right now."

"Oh my god what do we do?" asked Abby as she stood by Garrett.

"Just stay behind us," announced Susan. "And…be prepared to run I guess."

Slowly the creatures stalked towards the four of them, there movements showing no sign of fear. In some way it was just like men, in others it was like out of a werewolf movie or some sort of weird creature movie where they came after the main characters. Both Susan, and Tim felt the rush of adrenaline coming on at the prospect of a great battle before them as they summed up the numbers, almost outnumbered six to one.

"What do you think?" asked Tim, swallowing as he let a wave of fear pass.

"I think this isn't going to be fun," replied Susan as she stood beside him, taking aim with the blaster in her hand. The creatures were now less than twenty yards away, and again the only sound they made just like before was the sound of their motion.

"Well at least we'll go out together," replied Tim. "That's kind of romantic I guess."

"Aren't you just the lover boy?" responded Susan.

"You ready?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she replied, as the creatures closed to within ten yards.

"Wait," said another voice, this time from behind them. They turned to see Garrett now standing on his feet, but this time just barely. He managed to take a step forward, and this time put himself between the creatures and the other three who had come to his aid. "I'll take it from here."

"But you're in no cond…." Started Susan, who was cut off.

"I'm strong enough," he responded, and then thrust his arm out forward. From beneath his sleeve a tube extended and then on the end, a metal disc spun into existence from inside the tube. "I'd stand back if I were you guys."

"Why?" asked Tim.

"You'll see," said Garrett, a smirk on his face. With his hand still at his side, he raised his voice as he exclaimed, "Sentinel Power!" Raising his hand he squeezed it into a fist in front of his chest, and as he did, he depressed the metal disc in his hand. "Charge Up!" A bright flash of energy came spewing forth from his hand, and just like a very near bolt of lighting caused the whole area, the city streets, the tall buildings, the cars moving passed, quite quickly as it were, go completely white for a second, and then when it passed, Garrett was no longer standing where he was, but instead he had been replaced by the form of a man standing there clad in the form of black, his right hand holding a long sword in it. His free left hand stretched forward and pointed at the creatures. "Game Over."

**To Be Continued…..**


	2. Episode 2: Road to Redemption Part 2

"Sentinel Power, Charge Up!" The words had changed the lives of those around him inexplicably in only a matter of seconds. Everything would be different now, or at least that was the first thought that came to Tim's mind. His mind, he was at least pleased, didn't register shock at all, just surprise, and a pleasant one at that. Before him, the person they had been guarding, and trying to help had turned out to be the very thing he was striving to become. The figure now standing before him in what could only be described as black armor was the most real thing he had ever seen. He wore it about his body, from black vinyl boots up to the black jump suit hat went over top his main torso like a vest. A white V came over his shoulders and cressed at the belt. His arms though were dark grey leading into black gloves. He wore a black helmet, with a dark visor in the shape of a shield in the front of him that ran the length of his face. In his right hand rested a weapon Tim was intimate with, a long sword, and he held it firm, denoting training, and familiarity with the blade. He wondered for how long he could hold it though, how long the guy they knew only as Garrett had strength for before he collapsed from the injuries he had already suffered.

"Game Over!" he exclaimed, using his left hand to point at the band of the creatures in front of them. If he felt a weakness or fatigue, it was clear he made no sign of it to his enemies. He also made no hesitation either, as he followed his statement with a quick slash of his blade creating an arc in front of him. Susan looked on, as the arc seemed to actually be made out of energy, and just as quickly as he had slashed, it raced forward ahead of him, and collided into the chests of several creatures sending sparks erupting from their chests, and causing them to fall backwards. Before the others could recover the Ranger raced forward, and slashed downwards from over his head at the creatures closest to him, and then spun to his left, and slashed horizontally across the chest of another. Each slash forced a creature back, and caused it to topple backwards, longer in control of its motor functions.

To Tim and Susan, it looked like the normal battle they had seen on television before, but to Abby it was something else. It was both horrible, seeing it right before her eyes as the blade came crashing down on something else, and at the same time it was beautiful. The grace in each move, and each slash as the Ranger moved forward was something she likened to a ballet of sorts, almost like each move was choreographed ahead of time to ensure perfection. As the Ranger's slashes came in diagonally, and then lower, or higher in the next one, it was almost like he knew where they were going to be before they were there. She had been in bars before when there were fights, and usually they were messy, and sloppy and brutal as flesh connected with flesh, and blood erupted, but this was something different, this was something almost fluid.

It took Susan several more moments, and several creatures to remember that she was holding the blaster Garrett had arrived with, and remembering this she raised it to a level point, and took aim. Doubt began to cloud her judgment though as she watched the Black Ranger engaged in combat. Her concern was that she would miss, and further endanger the Ranger rather than helping. This was soon put to the test though, as one of the remaining creatures so an opportunity to attack from behind, and strike Garrett when he wasn't looking. Knowing she had no other choice, she took aim, and squeezed the trigger. As before, an azure colored light raced towards the creature, and caught it just below its upper chest area, sparks erupting it, and the creature doubling over from the hit. If Garrett had known the creature had been hit by one of his rescuers he gave no indication as he moved on to the last batch of the creatures, before finally slashing the last one from shoulder to waist across the diagonal. The movement brought him down to his knees with his hands, and arms extended backwards. His breath was heavy from all the work, and even more so from all the injuries he had suffered, but with his last bit of strength, he managed to squeak out one phrase as the last creature struck the ground. "Power Down."

As quickly as the whole ordeal had started, it was over, and the armor shattered away off of a very looking tired Garrett who fell forward onto his now unprotected hands. Tim, and Susan rushed over to him quickly, and the Ranger saw Susan upon him, he managed to barely whisper an address before finally succumbing to the darkness of unconsciousness. Susan was quick to become with worry, but at the same time it doubled as caution. Looking at Tim by her side, as she placed her hand on Garrett's side, she asked, "Did you hear what he said?"

"Yeah," said Tim, his breathing evident from the sprint to the Ranger's side. "It's nearby too."

"Let's get him into the truck then," said Susan softly, taking one of Garrett's arms, and wrapping it around her neck, and shoulders to support his weight.

"Shouldn't we wait for the paramedics?" asked Tim, as the sirens of the overdue squadron were approaching in the distance.

"He's a Ranger Tim," said Susan seriously, "do you really think they can do anything for him. Half of the city council wants to bring charges against him too, what's going to happen if we hand him over to law enforcement."

Abby had already moved back to Tim's dark blue pickup truck, and opened one of the doors to the rear of the cab. Without much other choice, Tim grabbed Garrett's other free hand, and pulled it over his shoulders to help his girlfriend support their charge. Moving as quickly as possible they got him to the cab, and Tim left Abbey and Susan to pull him inside as he ran around to the other side to start the truck. By now a crowd of people, most of which had disappeared when the battle had started, had begun returning to see the aftermath, and the companions by the truck were beginning to draw a little attention. Without much hassle though Abbey was able to pull him inside, as Susan jumped into the passenger seat, and Tim cranked the engine, causing the machine to roar to life. Easing her back into traffic, the truck took off just as the ambulance and other authorities arrived on scene.

The four of them rolled down the street, and Abby had to look out over her shoulder to where the authorities had begun to gather just to confirm that everything she had just witnessed was real. Looking for confirmation from the others she risked asking what she knew to be a stupid question. "So, that just happened right?" Neither of them bothered to answer the question, but all she really needed to do was look beside her to see Garrett's body sprawled across the back seat.

"The Black Ranger," said Tim softly, "No fricken way."

"I guess a few more things make sense now," said Susan, as she still held the blaster in her hands, almost clutching it with a grip of death.

"But where has he been all this time?" asked Tim. "And where are the others?"

"Like I know?" asked Susan sarcastically. "He didn't tell me anything more than the rest of you know. He just came out of no where, and the next thing I know we were fighting those robot creatures."

Abby had leaned over Garrett, and begun another examination to see if he had suffered any more injuries during the fight. To her surprise, as well as confusion the results she found were different than expected. "Holy Shit."

"What?" said Susan and Tim in unison.

"His wounds have partially healed," she reported, confirming the abrasions that had seem to have become better since the last time she looked at them. "It's almost like wearing the armor helped him get better."

Tim, and Susan exchanged confused, yet worried looks at each other, and then returned their attention to the road in front of them. An unsettling quiet slipped over the passengers of the truck though as it continued its trek down the road to its unknown destination. Each of those who were conscious became slightly aware that in the back of their minds, the initial excitement they had felt about their amazing discovery was slowly giving away to fear. It was fear of the unknown, and the cautious nature of the danger that often came with the unknown that was their fear. Was this Ranger a harbinger of things worse to come? Were they going to be followed to this place? What kind of place would this be? Could there be evil waiting for them when they arrived?

Susan was unsure of what to think, especially not about Garrett. She realized that she knew very little about him, and even more so not that he revealed a major aspect of his life to her. At the same time, she had the benefit of witnessing first hand his attempts to protect her, and keep her safe from the creatures that had tried to hurt them. But at the same time she had to wonder if she would have been in danger at all in the first place if he didn't arrive in their company.

Tim was clearly thrilled at the prospect of helping one of his idols. This was new territory for him, for it was real live hero work, and he could never pass up a chance to do that. At the same time though, the child-like glee of accomplishing ones dream was separated in his mind by a wall of cautious optimism that also came with the experience, and wisdom of age. Just because his dream was coming true didn't mean it was what he was expecting it was going to be. That proposition caused him a slight edge of anxiety.

Abby for her part was just straight up scared. She never wanted any part of this, yet it seemed she had no choice but to participate. It was her attraction to Tim, that she glanced at briefly as he drove the vehicle that had brought her here. It was due to her hormones that she had been put in danger of life and limb, but at the same time she also felt like Garrett had become her charge, and his health was now her concern. If they couldn't get to a hospital though, which was supposed to be the original plan, she didn't know how much more she could hope to accomplish here.

The fifteen minutes it took for them to make it to the part of the city they needed to go seemed to last an eternity with them left only to their thoughts. It was the change of scenery though that slowly brought them back to the surface of reality as the world around them become more spread out. The buildings began to become smaller in size, and the neighborhood looked in a state of disarray and disrepair. Tim had made it a point to steer clear of this part of town, and Abby had heard horror story, after horror story about what went on around here after dark. Susan had been in and out of here in earlier years, but she for the most part was not as concerned as the others. As the numbers began to descend to the one she'd been given it was only a matter of time, before she could point at one and say, "There."

Tim swung the pickup into the driveway of a lot with a fence topped with barbed wire all the way around, save for the open gate. There was a small building to their right in brownstone that held several garage doors, and a flat roof. It was easily two stories tall, and the lot of what looked to be broken down cars outside gave it the appearance it probably sought to achieve. Almost on cue, Abby's voice could be heard from the rear of the vehicle, "Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Yeah," said Susan, her own doubt seeping through her response though. She looked over at Tim who had already unfastened his seat belt, and was reaching for the door handle.

"Wait here," he told them both, as he pushed the door to his truck open.

"No argument here," responded Abby, as the door slammed shut, and Tim stepped away from the vehicle. He walked forward to the structure, conscious of the fact that the two girls were watching his every movement. Looking at the door he could clearly see a metal door with a blue and white sign that read "OPEN" in black lettering. He slowly made his way up to the door, and twisted the knob, pulling it open.

Inside he found exactly what he thought he would. There were several vehicles already inside, some on lifts, as well as work benches with tools, and parts sprawled out across them. Letting the door slam shut behind him, he became aware of the smell of something burning, and the soft crackle of electricity. Letting his eyes roam across the automotive landscape, he spied the source of the sound in the corner, a male wearing what looked to be a welder's mask, and gloves hunched over something at the far end of the shop. Tim called out to attempt to alert the person to his presence. "Hello?"

The welder stopped, and his head perked up. Tim took this as an opportunity to call out again, "Hey there." The man spun around and lifted his mask. Behind it were the brown eyes of a guy Tim's age, his face slightly grimed up with black muck, and smoke residue. His brown hair was short, and his face was almost leathery, but in an attractive way. To some degree, Tim thought the guy looked a little like Garrett, but he wasn't entirely sure.

"What's up?" the guy called out.

Tim pointed back to the door, and replied, "Uh I have this emergency."

"That's what they all say," returned the guy, as he pulled off his gloves, and welding mask.

"It's not my car dude," said Tim, his speech gaining speed. "Listen do you know a guy named Garrett?"

"Garrett?" asked the guy in a manner that indicated shock, which concerned Tim. Tim wondered whether not he had come to the right place again, but the next question that the guy gave was something different then what he expected. "What do you know about Garrett?"

"He's lying in the back of my truck," Tim informed him, "and he's hurt pretty bad."

"Shit," said the guy, and his speed increased, as he raced outside with Tim, and tow. The two of them emerged back into the light, and quickly raced to the side of Tim's blue Dodge pickup. Abby had beaten them to the punch, and opened the door to the truck, while Susan slowly got of it herself. Seeing the sight of Garrett lying their motionless the guy had only one course of action as he reached the Ranger's side. "What happened?"

"We found him like this," said Susan. "He was hurt pretty bad, but he managed to save us from several creatures." She took in the newcomer carefully, sizing her up as she would another pool player she might take money from. "Who are you?"

"Clay," he returned, as he slowly pulled Garrett from the vehicle with Tim's help. "Garrett is my cousin. What do you mean creatures?"

"The same ones that were used as foot soldiers by the monsters that have been attacking the city," explained Tim. "They cornered us when we got to him, and he changed into a Power Ranger and stopped them."

Clay froze dead in his tracks, and turned to look at Tim as if he had just said something insulting about his mother. "What did you just say?"

"Your cousin is the Black Ranger," said Abby painting for him a clear picture, as she joined the others on their side of the vehicle.

"Wait," he exclaimed as they now had him surrounded, "who are all of you?"

"Tim," Tim offered, as he and Clay began to move Garrett's body inside.

"Susan," was Susan's answer as she walked beside them.

"Abby," came the redhead's name.

"And your saying Garrett here is the Black Ranger?" he asked them, almost not believing their story.

"Yeah," returned Susan, "and your cousin asked us to bring him here right before he passed out."

The metal door burst open into the shop as Susan moved in first, and then held the door, so that the two men could haul Garrett's body inside. Clay began pulling a certain way towards a staircase and indicated, "This way." The party climbed the stairs, and as they did Susan became aware of a second floor that looked like a loft. Slowly the two ascended the stairs carrying their charge, before making it to the top. Their destination appeared to be bed in the corner of the loft where they set Garrett down softly. Abby moved in, as both of the guys, quite exhausted from the toil of carrying another this far took a breather. Slowly the redhead pulled off the Ranger's shoes, and raised his head putting another pillow under it in attempt to make him more comfortable.

"You didn't know your cousin was a Ranger?" asked Susan, breaking the quiet that had set in. Clay shot an incredulous look that seemed to ask her if she honestly thought he would know something like that.

"Look, all I know is that he's been missing for awhile," said Clay. "My aunt thinks he died in the last battle they had as a casualty, and reported him dead. Now, from out of nowhere he just shows up here on my doorstep, and you tell me he's a Power Ranger."

"I think he's doing better," reported Abby as she laid a hand on the Ranger's forehead. "His breathing is more relaxed, and his pulse is pretty stable."

"So he'll live?" asked Clay.

"He'll live," she reported, nodding back. Clay took this moment to give the redhead a once over from head to toe as she stood there next to him watching over his cousin. He had no shame in admitting he liked what he saw, but at the same time he was somewhat overwhelmed by all the sudden information that had been bestowed upon him. His life had been pretty simple up to this point. He had finished high school, and then scrapped together enough money to buy this place, and run it…all by himself. His cousin had always been the adventurous type, until he had disappeared, and now, he came flying back into Clay's life, and a Power Ranger at that. He was unsure to pat the guy on the back for having such a hot chick worry over him, and curse him for his good luck, and fortune.

"So what now?" asked Tim, looking over the fallen Garrett whom he hadn't been able to watch while he drove.

"Good question," responded Susan.

"Well you got him here," announced Clay, suspecting Tim's motive for asking the question. "You don't have to hang around."

"I think we all have a lot of questions we want answered," Susan responded, breaking Clay's theory. "And right now, he's the only one that can do that. So if you don't mind, I think we might hang out awhile."

"Well if your willing to watch over him," stated Clay, "I've got some work that needs finishing."

"I'm here until Tim decides to leave," said Abby sarcastically, not at all enjoying her surroundings, but at the same time throwing her eyes appreciatively at Tim.

"Fine by me," said Clay, tossing the comment into the air as he descended down the stairs back to his work area.

Susan folded her arms, and began to follow after the mechanic, "I think I need some fresh air." The expediency at which Susan rushed downstairs was nothing short of surprising. Some how in the few short minutes, her pulse had begun racing, and her head swimming, and then on top of it all, was the sickening comment Abby had made about being stuck here, when she really meant stuck here with Tim. It wasn't Abby though that caused Susan to feel that closed in feeling, it was something else, something that was slowly beginning to boil up from underneath, a memory from her past that she had confronted in some time.

The metal door parted, and again she found herself outside, starring at the fading light as the beams struck off the flashy metallic paint of Tim's truck. She took several deep breaths as the door closed behind her, glad to be left alone with only the sounds of the city about her. Instinctively she reached into her coat pocket, and retrieved the small cardboard box in one of its pockets, and from the pocket of her jeans she pulled out the small plastic container, with the metal head. Taking the cigarette from its package, she pressed it to her lips, and then put the pack back into pocket. She held the lighter close to the tip of the cigarette, and depressed the thumb trigger, causing a flame to jump, and the cigarette to light. She took a long drag that caused her to calm herself, and then released the smoke back into the atmosphere, as she pulled the item away from her lips. Her pulse slowed down, and again she took another drag again as the nicotine, and other substances began to fill her body. The memory though would not be fought back as easy it seemed.

She recalled it vividly, almost like a waking dream. She had been sitting in the passenger seat of an older Mustang as it went through the hills at night. She was decked out to the nines as they say, others would call it looking smoking hot, but she had every reason too. Next to her was her boyfriend of almost a year, guiding the car through the twists and turns, as they sped towards Fort Dupree at the top of the hill, where he was going to receive a promotion. It was to be a small ceremony, for military personnel, and a few family members only, but George had wanted to bring Susan along. It meant everything to him that she had come. It was three years ago that this scenario had taken place, but in the waking dream for Susan it could have been a single nanosecond ago.

She had brought a flask with her, and taken several sips already, and passed it over to George who had taken it a few as well. After the ceremony they were destined to dinner, and then maybe a little partying, and she was already readying herself for that. A cigarette was poised at the window, already lit, the colder air racing over it, trying to extinguish it but failing. Their lights were on, and as it was they were making good time, but Susan was an adrenaline junkie, and she needed more than just the fix that the cigarette offered for her nicotine habit. She felt the warmth of the booze, and it caused her to push him.

"I thought you said this thing could go faster," she egged him on. "I mean geez, my grandmother's Buick could pass you right now."

"I'm doing forty, which is more than enough for these tight turns," responded George. "I'm trying not to get us killed, not until I at least have Lieutenant benefits for my family and loved ones."

"Oh so I guess their giving promotions to sissy boys now as a rule of thumb?" she asked jokingly, mostly to encourage him to do what she wanted.

George shook his head, but the engine roared as the revolutions of the engine, and the speed increased. Forty became sixty, and George shot around the curves, keeping the back end of the car on the pavement as much as possible. Susan closed her eyes as she felt the rush of excitement, and booze pour into her system, and became overcome with an almost ecstasy, of sorts. Had her eyes been opened she would of seen the deer, not merely just hear the scream of surprise from George. Her eyes snapped opened, as the car swerved, George's attempt to miss it, and prevent it from striking them as well. The backend fishtailed though, and become uncontrollable as it spun around from behind. The vehicle slid into the car rail faster than it was meant to be slid into, and the structure buckled from the momentum of the vehicle, causing the Mustang to slide over it, rolling over onto its roof as it did. It wasn't a deep cliff, and the Mustang fell only several feet to the embankment below, its roof first, before rolling back over, onto its tires. It might have been a long drop, but it was enough, for when Susan came too, George lay dead in the driver's seat.

It took ten minutes for the paramedics to arrive, ten minutes that felt not unlike the ride over to Clay's shop, a period of time that can feel like an eternity when all you have is your own thoughts, and the weight of the world behind them. She remembered the shock she felt, that she couldn't be brought out of until when they wheeled George's lifeless body out on the gurney. His body seemed to just lay there without life, without energy, without spirit, the same way she had just seen Garrett lying in the bed upstairs. Things were of course different in the here, and now. Garrett was alive, and so far, no one was dead, but there had been enough triggers to bring Susan back to this situation. She had tried on many occasions to tell herself that it hadn't been her fault, that there was no way she could have known. She also knew that in the back of her mind that wasn't true.

She took another puff, and this time slowly released it, the trail of smoke drifting out in front of her into the air of the city. She had never told Tim that story, feeling like she never had a reason too. That was her memory, not theirs, and she wanted to keep away, forget it as much as possible. She didn't hear the door open behind her, but she felt the presence of her boyfriend as he came up behind her. His voice was the first to speak. "Weird Day."

"And it started out so nicely," she remarked, remembering the waterfront, and their meaningless conversation that started this whole train of events.

"Yeah talk about ironic huh?" he offered, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess you should sign me up as a fortune teller or something."

"Look out Miss Cleo." She took another puff, and still had yet to turn around to face Tim. She didn't want him to see the look in her eyes that she had right now. It was a look of fear, probably one he would never expect her to have, but it was the same fear she felt every time she remembered. She wanted to keep this from him.

"Um Sue," said Tim, "Garrett is sort of awake, in a fashion, and he's asking for you." He didn't know exactly what to say. He could tell that she was not in her usual mood, but for his part, he suspected it had more to do with Abby's presence than anything else, and like a normal boyfriend, he assumed that he had screwed up in someway. She flicked the cigarette away, and turned around, brushing past him without even a smile. Tim continued looking forward, a little upset that she was acting this way, but deciding it was best to just let it slide. He followed her back inside, and then up the stairs as she ascended them.

She could see Abby sitting off to the side, and Garrett lying in a different position then before. She was grateful for that, so that it wouldn't trigger a memory flash or anything. His eyes were open, and she came into his view, they locked onto her as she made her way over to the bed. She sat on the edge, his eyes following her the whole time, but she didn't speak, she instead waited for him to say something. His face moved to speak, but instead a cough came out, and he turned away. Letting it clear he offered, "I think I have you to thank for saving me."

Susan looked at him curiously for a moment, and then returned, "I'm pretty sure I'm the one that should be saying that to you. And many times over I might add."

"Without you I wouldn't of made it here," Garrett reminded her.

"And without you, none of us might be here at all," she reminded him.

"Fair enough," he said, relenting to her persistence.

"So you're a Power Ranger," she said, not so much a question as it was a statement she made to him.

"Yeah," he said, followed by a brief caught, which he covered with one of his hands. "I guess the secret is out."

"What happened to you guys?" she asked as she helped him lay back.

"Long story," he said after the coughing fit ended, his eyes returning back to hers. "Not a good one either." There was a sound of rustling from downstairs, and Tim rushed to the edge of the railing that looked over the work area to see what was going on. He saw Clay move to the door, and throw his weight against it, as if baring entrance to someone. Looking up, he saw Tim looking down on him.

"Uh," said Clay. "We've got trouble."

Tim turned to look at Susan and Garrett who were already looking at him expectantly for information. "They found us."

"Here we go again," said Abby, throwing her arms up in frustration. "He's in no condition to fight this time."

"Then we're going to have too," said Tim.

"No!" exclaimed Garrett. His tone was serious, but at the same time he made no attempt to move.

"But she just said you were too weak to fight," said Susan, turning to look back at him.

"They're after me because of this," he said, reaching into his pocket, and slowly pulling out a metal disc. It was shiny, and had rigid lines that went across several different diameters, splitting it into eight different equal slices like a pie chart. In the center though was a small raised glass surface, and in the center it glowed red. Raising his hand, he took a hold of Susan's hand, with his free hand, and placed the disc in her palm.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked him, utterly confused by the whole gesture.

"I could use some help down here!" exclaimed Clay from below.

Susan turned to Tim, and yelled, "Tim!" Tim didn't need a second hint, as he took off down the stairs to help Clay. She turned to look back to the Ranger hoping to find the meaning of his gesture.

"Place it on your left wrist," was his only explanation. She looked at him bewildered, but still did as he told her, and slowly placed it over her left wrist. The eight sections spun until they folded on top of themselves, and then inwards, and then structure changed, as bands of the disc folded outwards, and wrapped themselves around her thin feminine wrist. The whole thing seemed like something out of science fiction to her, and she had to look to Abby to confirm what she was looking at.

"What just happened?" she asked, still staring at the device affixed to her wrist.

"The morpher just bonded to you," he explained.

"Morpher?" she asked him, completely unaware of its definition.

"You can use it to become a Power Ranger," he concluded. The look on her face though read as complete shock. There was even a gasp from Abby who still sat nearby as the real gravity of the situation hit both girls. Garrett had just bestowed something amazing upon Susan, but even Susan wasn't really ready to have that kind of thing given to her, or so she thought.

"What?" was her only choice of words.

"Remember what I did before?" Garrett asked her, trying to steam role past her fog of confusion and doubt. He watched her nod softly, and then added, "just do that, and the rest will probably come to you."

"I can't be a Power Ranger," she told him. "That's so much….beyond me."

Garrett laughed softly, almost as if he knew some kind of inside joke she didn't, but what it was, he probably wasn't going to tell. "It's beyond all of us at some point. But look at it like this if you have too. If you can't do this, then everyone else is going to suffer, and probably die."

"That's a great pep talk," she said sarcastically. "Is motivational speaking your day job?" Below, she heard the screeching of metal, and the door giving away to the invaders just beyond. Tim, and Clay cried out in surprise as the creatures burst through and into the shop. Susan turned to look at Garrett real fast, and then stood up, spinning to look at Abby. "Don't let them get him." Abby looked stupefied by the request, almost as if Susan had been speaking another language to her, but Susan felt the need to repeat it, just to make sure she got the point. "Promise me, no matter what, you won't let them get him." The only thing Abby could do was nod in compliance.

Susan turned, and rushed down the stairs towards the battle which had already begun without her. Clay had grabbed a large wrench, and had begun swinging it at the creatures, while Tim had begun displaying his years of martial arts studies. The two guys held their own surprisingly, but the law of large numbers was against them, and they had already begun to take blows to their bodies. Pausing on the second step from the ground, Susan took a deep breath, as a momentary doubt entered her mind about what she was about to do. She flashed back again to that car, on that night, and George in the driver's seat. She could feel the adrenaline building in her veins, the rush that always came before she did something crazy, or insane, or intrepid. This was the same feeling that got George killed, and now it was the same feeling that might get them all killed. Still, she had no choice.

"HEY!" she screeched at the creatures, who paused in their battles to turn and look at the human female. Clay, and Tim took the moment to catch their breath, for it was only a moment before Susan advanced the situation. Slowly she raised her arm, and pulled back her sleeve to show her new bracelet resting comfortably on her arm. "I think you guys were looking for this?"

The creatures reassumed their defensive stance, and postured themselves for an attack against her. The rush began to take over her mental facilities, and a strange smile danced across her face. Clay thought she looked crazy, but Tim saw the look too many times before to know that what was coming next was not going to be good for the creatures that opposed her. "Come and get it. Sentinel Power!" She thrust her arm out to the side, and as she did a long piece of metal shot from her bracelet towards the open palm of her hand. When it reached the middle, the tip of it spun outwards to create a disc. She reached forward in front of herself, and her hand closed around the disc. "Charge Up!"

A great blast of energy exploded outwards from her hand, blinding everyone around until it began to retract in upon itself. Susan could feel the energy cover her body, and it was unlike anything she felt before. It wrapped around her, and as it did, she could feel different sensations as the armor began to form around her from the ether. She could feel the boots on her feet, the gloves on her hand, and the way the leggings, and torso piece merged together to form one. Her vision went dark, but only for a moment as the helmet and visor closed in over her head, and finally the energy faded, leaving her feeling awkward, but powerful at the same time.

Tim had to blink several times to truly process the information he was seeing in front of him. There had been the blinding surge of energy, and then it faded leaving behind something amazing. His girlfriend, the one he'd been seeing for some time now, due probably to Garrett, the mysterious guy they had found and brought here, had just morphed into a Power Ranger, before his very eyes. More than that, he had witnessed something he never had even heard of before. She had become a Red Ranger. A red, female Ranger, no skirt, but it was clear from the upper part of the torso that she was female. Her armor was exactly like Garrett's to a tee, same white V, same silver under tone. Susan was now a Power Ranger.

"I know I can make an entrance, but you all don't have to look so surprised," was her first announcement in her new position. She had addressed all the creatures that had practically frozen in place, but her words stirred them back into action. They rushed forward towards the new Ranger, and as they did, she reacted. Reaching to her side, she withdrew her sidearm, a blaster identical to the one they had taken off of Garrett. She removed it from its holster, and brandished it, leaping towards the ceiling as she did. Firing several blasts from it as she became airborne, the room became a little larger without the presence of several of the creatures. She flipped forward in the air, and landed behind the creatures, putting herself between Tim, and Clay.

The creatures rushed forward, and this time they met the booted foot of the Red Ranger as she slammed it into the first one, and then thrusted it backwards into another, sending both sprawling in a different direction. Recovering her footing, she spun around, and dropped to the ground leg sweeping two, and sending them to the floor. With a little more breathing room, she brandished a long staff from out of nowhere. It seemed a little thicker than a normal bow staff, and was metallic in color, and appearance, except for a red line that went down the center of it. She spun it forward, and slammed one of the creatures in the abdomen sending sparks flying and then caught another behind the knee, and spun it upside down, sending it cart wheeling backwards. She twirled around, and the butt end of the staff found its way into the upper torso of the nearest creature forcing it back into the open air.

Tim's face read shock, and surprise, and his mind was blank as he was only an onlooker to what was transpiring before him. It was like watching a dream play out before him, but at the same time he didn't need to pinch himself to wake up. His mind was a battle of chaos trying to make sense of the images before him, against a feeling of peace and right with everything in the world. This just made sense to him, and he knew it deep down. Watching her though also forced a pang of jealousy to the surface of his mind. She had become the one thing he had always wanted to be, and she on top of it, she knew she never wanted it. It had just happened for her, and not him who had spent so much time, and effort trying to be a hero. His feelings for her were mixed, but at the moment, there was also the concern for his own safety that was a higher priority.

The butt end of the staff came out of no where and struck the arm of one of the creatures, causing it to spin in the air, and slam itself into the ground. It was the final one to still be moving, and as it struck the ground it became the last, as the only motion in the shop were the human beings. Susan found herself breathing heavily, her shoulders rising and falling with each breath as she held the staff firmly in both her hands. She didn't know where her ability had come from, only that she suddenly found herself able to wield the weapon the way she had. She was still standing in a defensive position, ready to defend herself at any attacker coming towards her, but she found the area around her suddenly at peace and calm. Realizing that the battle was over, she straightened up, and looked around at where the creatures should have been. There were none though, they had all vanished, the only trace of their presence were the foot prints on the shop floor. She lowered the staff to her side, and slowly her mind began to recall the fight of Garrett's she had witnessed. Her voice came out softly as she said, "Power Down."

There was a rush of energy, and slowly the armor surrounding her body vanished back into the ether it had come from. Before her two friends, she now stood as she had before, as a normal girl, no trace of who she had been save for the wrist band on her left wrist. Her eyes finished looking at the shop, confirming what they had seen through the visor, and slowly she turned to look at her beau who stood across the shop, his eyes spoke little of what was on his mind, and only the confusion he felt inside shone out through them. She didn't move closer, instead she stared at him, allowing the distance between them to close in both their minds. "What do you think?"

His pause, and silence caused her concern for a moment, but finally emotion returned to his face, as did a smile of excitement. "That was crazy." He closed the distance between the two, and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. "That was insane. Do you know who you are now?"

"Yeah," she said, a smile forming on her own face. "That was pretty crazy."

"Way to go," called out Abby, and the two of them looked out to see her hanging out over the railing of the second floor looking down. "That was incredible."

"Yeah," said Clay who was leaning against the railing leading up to the next floor. "And the best part is she didn't even break anything in my shop."

"I can't believe I just did that," Susan told them as she pushed her hair back with both her hands. "There was all this power, and the weapon, and I felt incredible. It was like I could do anything."

"You were great," said Tim looking down at her, and placing his forehead to hers. Slowly he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, before breaking it, and pulling back. They could hear Clay climbing the steps to go check on his cousin again, and the lack of Abby's presence as she went back to tending to him. The two young lovers stared into each other's eyes, and though to anyone looking it seemed they only had one common thing on their minds, they in fact had two different points of view. Susan was still in a phase of exhilaration at her new found powers, but at the same time she knew what must have been running through Tim's mind, and why it had taken him slightly longer to say anything. Tim for his part was still hurt in his own right that he had not been chosen to carry this responsibility, and part of him was very happy for Susan.

"You sure you're alright?" she asked him again, knowing full well he would never tell her.

"Yeah," he said, lying but feeling like he should to make her feel better. He knew that was what she wanted to hear, not the real problem that was bothering him. But slowly another thought began to stray into his mind as he stood there, and looked at her. "What's next?"

**The End**


	3. Episode 3: The Blind Eye

_Opening Theme – Linkin Park "What I've Done" _

The sound of metal on metal followed by the high revving of an impact gun was the only sound that filled the shop. It was the stillness, and the calm that Garrett preferred, the still calm that was a nice change from the chaotic sounds, and tremors of where he had been, of what he had almost been. He paused as the last lug found its place on the vehicle he was working on, only for a moment as his mind kept to a thought. His cousin, Clay, stood several feet behind him, and though his eyes were not directly watching the progress of his cousin, he could hear it. Clay hadn't pushed Garrett since he got back, just happy to have his missing cousin returned from the ether he had been in, but at the same time, he wondered where Garrett had been, and how he managed to bring back so many secrets. It had been three days since he had been brought back. Three days since he had morphed in front of the others and revealed his identity to them. Three days since Susan had been given the gift, the mantle of the Red Ranger. Three days, and still Garrett had told them nothing. In some way it was more than they had been able to take. The first day saw the return of Tim, Susan, and Abby, and they hovered around while the two worked on cars. Clay had been concerned at first that his cousin had just jumped back in too fast, trying very hard to ignore everything that had happened to him. He had looked at a late model Chevy that Clay had just bought into one of the bays, picked up a wrench and had just kept going ever since. They hadn't even talked about what Clay could afford to pay him. With the lack of information forthcoming, the others had slowly begun to slip away, until the only one that had dropped by yesterday was Susan.

"Where did that torque wrench go?" asked Garrett who had moved on from the wheel, and now back under the hood of the Ford he was working on.

"It's in the drawer," stated Clay. "Same place it's always been." He hadn't even looked up, just kept working on the project in front of him. Garrett moved over to the directed location, and slowly picked up the tool from its drawer. He felt the cool metal in his hand, and he shivered softly, trying to keep the memory he was feeling back where it should be. He didn't want to remember what the others had gone through, he didn't want to remember what he went through, only that for a short time there had been pain. The memory is what kept him going, because now he knew that he needed to once again take up the reigns of the challenge he had faced before. He needed to protect the city.

He fitted the socket to the wrench, and then placed it on the bolt, and slowly began to tighten the socket to its required torque setting. There was a soft click from the handle as he found his setting, and then slowly pulled it up and away. He stepped away, and put the wrench back on the nearby tool cart. He wiped his hands on a pair of coveralls that he had borrowed from his cousin. It was then he had heard the footfalls outside and slowly the door opened. He half expected another customer to walk through, but with the lack of the engine he was pretty sure of the identity of that person. He watched as her form slowly cressed the doorway, and emerged into the light of the shop. She wore the same leather jacket she had worn the day he had met her, the one that made him think of a racer. She wore a pair of dark blue denim jeans, and above it a red tank top. She had adopted a modus operandi that many of those who came before her had. It was to wear the color of her armor, a dead give away to her profession for those who know how to look, but it seemed that many did not know. A slight smile crossed his face, but only he knew that for these days rarely a smile seemed to beam from his face. He hid them from people, barely showing them on his face.

Susan could see it though. She could read him only slightly, but she knew the look on his face very well. As a bartender she was used to reading all kinds of people now, a skill she found came in very useful when dealing with other people. She watched him carefully as he took only a moment to glance at her before turning back to what he was working on. Her greeting was quick, and offering of friendship to him, "Hey."

"Hey," came his quick reply, knowing what she was going to say before she did.

"How are you?" she asked him, seeing that more color had returned to him, and that he looked like any normal person.

"Pretty much back to normal," he responded.

"That's good to hear," she responded.

"Yup" said Garrett slowly picking up a rag, and wiping down the tool he was holding. The awkward silence was building between the two Rangers as time slipped past. Garret instinctively moved back to working on the vehicle in front of him, and Susan found that she was somewhat out of place. She watched as he moved back under the hood of the aging car in front of him, and slowly heard the ratcheting sound of the tool he was using as he moved it back and forth. She folded her hands into the pockets of her jeans, and paced back in forth in the background.

Clay on the other hand was sick of all the lack of communication, and the awkward silences. He walked over to the main garage door, and took a hold of the chain that pulled open the door, and slowly began to tug away as the door slowly began to open letting the sunlight pour in. He took a deep breath of the city air that began to envelop him, smog and all, and exhaled. He felt joy at the way the city felt today, making it a good day for a change. The sounds of the city began to catch his ear though, and his gaze turns towards the side walk across from his yard. There was an argument going on, a dispute. It didn't matter the details, the details were the only thing that ever made a difference. It could have been midnight, early morning, or midday, it didn't matter, they were always there. He watched as the two men argued, then took a swing. Clay watched this so many times before, but each time he had turn away as the blows began. He turned his eyes away and back towards the shop. He was one man, and this part of town had too much of this. He couldn't stand up to it all, he couldn't help one person, so instead of trying, he did nothing, and went about his life.

He re-emerged into the shop, the other two oblivious to the altercation outside. He felt no need to alert them to it either. They might both be Rangers, but what could they really do. They couldn't police this neighborhood twenty four seven, why even bother? This wasn't their fight, and Clay knew that. He opened the door to the car he had been working on, and started it. The engine roared to life, and the car shifted into gear under Clay's command. Susan moved out of the way as it began to back out towards the yard leaving the two Rangers to themselves.

Susan didn't know if she could take it any more. She had to know, something at least. There was bound to be something she could wrestle out of the Black Ranger. She shook her head in frustration, and tried to groan, but instead tried to think of something else to say. "So uh….it was weird the first time I…you know….morphed."

Garrett stopped ratcheting for a moment, and slowly put his wrench down, poking his head out from under the hood to look at her.

"You know it was strange having all that energy just wrap around me," she told him. "It was like…well like nothing that I've ever felt."

"It gets stranger," he added, the first tidbit he offered ever to her. "There's weirder feelings like when you transport, or when you combine powers…there's a lot more."

"What was it like the first time you morphed?" she asked him.

Garrett shook his head, and a smile crossed his face, as he rubbed his greasy hand through the back of his hair. He knew what Susan was trying to do, the information she was trying to get out of him, but for some reason, he also knew that he hadn't told the story before. "I was scared to be honest. We all were, we didn't know exactly what was going to happen. We didn't even have the fancy catch phrase we all use now. It uh….it just sorta happened y'know."

"I remember the first time you guys came on television," she told him. "Oh god, that had to be after the first monster attack. I remember seeing that thing on the news and being freaked out, and then they showed the videos of you guys. I thought wow, we actually have a Power Ranger team here in town. I remember feeling like….like I was wrapped in a blanket of safety. Like we would all be fine just because of you guys. But they way you just made it sound, and now I wonder."

"It's always the same for every team I hear," said Garrett. "No one is totally sure what to do or anything like that….it just happens, and comes together, and then you have teams like Lightspeed Rescue, and Operation Overdrive. It was like that for us too….before…"

Susan felt the pause inside Garrett, like he was holding onto a distant thought, but it was causing him pain, and grief. His eyes were locked in front of him, and he had stopped moving all parts of his body. His mind was reliving something, but she didn't know what it could be, only that it must have been painful. She tried to prod him into revealing it though, "Before what?"

Her voice woke him up though, and broke his trance. His mind snapped back to reality like a rubber band, and his head pitched up so that his eyes could meet hers. She had gone to deep into him, and he knew it. This was the time he needed to cut her off before she delved further into him, further into something he didn't want to share with her. He didn't know how she would react to it, only that whatever way it would be, it wouldn't be positive. Fortune smiled upon him, though it was neither good nor bad, but fortune nonetheless intervened with the chiming that began sounding in the corner of the shop. It took Garrett a moment longer than he thought it should have to identify it though. "The tracker!"

"The what?" asked Susan as she watched Garrett rush to the source of the sound. He went into a darkened corner of the shop, and could see that it was being illuminated by something flashing. Garrett quickly picked up the device, and started examining it. At first Susan suspected that it was some sort of Palm Pilot device or something, but she decided the best way to learn its purpose was to move closer. "What is that thing?"

"It's called a Drive Tracker," said Garrett, "we kind of borrowed it from Operation Overdrive when we bumped into them a couple months ago." He punched several buttons, and a small map appeared on the screen, and with it, a small flashing dot at a certain point. "Why is it always a flashing dot? Even in the movies, its always a flashing dot? Wouldn't a solid dot be more practical?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, suddenly very confused by the way he was talking to himself.

"Never mind," he told her. "This thing is set to track down other Rangers, or at least that's what I tried to get it to do. I thought I had found one before, but instead what it had locked onto was the morpher you now have."

"So you're saying that thing has found another morpher?" she asked him.

"Or another Ranger," he replied, his voice suddenly filled with optimism. "We need to go look."

"Woah," said Susan, "last time you found one of these things it came with a lot of those scary robot creatures."

Garrett was already in motion, peeling back the buttons to his work shirt, and slowly pulling the shirt free. "Riftoids."

"What?" she asked, shaking her head like he was speaking another language. "What did you say?"

"Those robot creature things are called Riftoids," he replied.

"Riftoids," she repeated, as though it was some unfavorable dish on a menu. "I guess that's better than robot creatures."

"CLAY!" screamed Garrett as he approached the open door. Quickly his cousin rushed back into the shop looking like he thought the place was on fire. "We need your car."

"For what?" he asked, completely and utterly confused by what was going on. "What the hell is going on?"

"Garrett's located another morpher," she told the confused mechanic. "And you two are going after it."

"More like us three," replied Garrett as he turned to look at Susan. He grabbed a fleece jacket, and thrown it on over his t-shirt. "If Riftoids show up, it's going to be better if the two of us with Ranger powers are there to do something about it."

"I've gotta get to work," said Susan shaking her head.

"You're a Ranger now," said Garrett, his voice switching to that of a serious tone. "You better get used to being late." Clay already had his denim jacket on, and the keys to his car in his hand. Garrett nodded, when he saw this and said, "Let's go."

Susan let out a loud sigh, but conceded realizing inside that this is what needed to happen now. She was part of something bigger, and that meant more than just defending Garrett when he lay there injured. If there were other Rangers or morphers out there then they needed to be found, and placed in the right hands. She shook her head though when she thought about the meaning of right hands. Was that her? She took one last look at Garrett, who was waiting patiently for her, and realized that he had chosen her, so apparently he thought her hands were the right hands for the job. "Fine."

The three of them piled into Clay's Honda, and it roared to life as Clay turned the engine over. Garrett sat next to him in the passenger seat as the vehicle began to move forward, with Susan in the back seat, sprawled out. Garrett turned and regarded his cousin carefully. "You know you don't have to come."

"You must be crazy if you think I'm going to drive my car after what happened last year," said Clay with a grin on his face.

"Aww c'mon," said Garrett, a little annoyed by Clay's remark. "How long are you going to hold that against me?"

"Until you never forget it," was Clay's only response.

"What happened?" asked Susan.

"One little dent," said Garrett. "That's all."

"Six hundred dollars is not that's all," said Clay. "Do you know how many cars I have to fix for something like that."

"Geez cuz," said Garrett.

Clay shook his head, relieved for the moment to feel a little bit of the normalcy returning to his life. Things had been in a whirlwind for the last couple months, not just with Garrett missing, but with the neighborhood too. It had also taken the tenseness out of the air too with regards to the whole Ranger mission they had just been put on. Clay didn't want to admit it, but part of the reason he was going, was that he was worried that if he didn't Garrett might just vanish again, and this time for good. "Where too?"

"Battle Park," said Garrett as he looked the device he was holding very carefully. "Northeast corner, right off of sixth."

"Right," said Clay softly.

"So, where do these Riftoids come from?" asked Susan from behind the two. "I mean they just seem to come out of no where."

"Well they're called Riftoids for a reason," said Garrett. "You see there's this weird interdimensional rift that sort of broke out over Jefferson's Point. There are these small fissures and fractures that pop up from time to time, and these creatures are sent out from them. Right now the rifts are small, and only the Riftoids can make it out, but if they get bigger…" Garrett trailed off from there. He didn't want to alarm Susan, or make her more scared then she might already be.

"…than bigger things like the monsters come out?" she asked him, finishing his explanation for him.

Garrett paused for several moments, before he finally answered, "Yeah."

"Well…why didn't the monsters keep coming out before, what happened to the rift to make it so small again?" she asked him. She would get no reply though, that much was sure. She didn't know why she had bothered asking, especially when she had seen how quiet Garrett had gotten before with that last question. Every time she felt like she was getting closer to this whole mystery, and what it meant he shut off, and she was beginning to get frustrated by it. She sat back in her seat, and pouted softly, though she knew neither of them really saw.

Clay did though, in his rear view. Silently, he had been cheering Susan on the whole time. For some reason Garrett was never good at opening up to people, and he never had been. The two cousins had always had an understanding in their relationship, and that was to wait until the other came forth with something to talk about. Sometimes it was constraining, like now, but it was, what it was. The three of them sat in silence as he continued to pilot the vehicle to its destination.

The Honda pulled up along the curb, and slowly three doors opened up as the three young people disembarked from it. They closed them, and slowly gathered on the curb. Garrett was still involved with the tracker in his hand, and was punching buttons to get read outs. His commanding voice rang out though as they gathered, "It's moving. Damn this thing, why do you always have to push buttons to refresh, can't it do it itself? Stupid American piece of…."

"Where is it moving too?" interrupted Susan.

"Um…towards there," said Garrett pointing at the small self storage area on the opposite of the park. "It's in there."

"You think Riftoids have it?" she asked the Black Ranger.

"Maybe," replied Garrett. The three of them moved slowly towards the entrance of the place, carefully looking around, only to find almost a chill calm. The sunset had begun, and the light was fading quickly, which meant that there search was going to be a little more difficult then they wanted it to be. As they neared the building they could see the gate open, due to the fact that the place was no longer in business. It was clearly run down with grass growing out of the pavement, and several storage doors bashed in.

"This is a little spooky," said Susan as she got closer.

"Are you serious?" asked Clay. "It's a storage place. What horror movies have taken place in a storage place? And besides, you're the one with the damn morpher. How the hell do you think I feel?"

"Quiet guys," said Garrett as they entered, "if there are Riftoids, I don't think we should let them know we're here yet." Slowly the trio passed through the gates into the run down storage area. They were waiting for the sounds of movement, or a flurry activity out of the corner of their eye, but nothing came. Slowly they moved deeper, until they reached the end of the first row of storage buildings. Long out down the main lane that ran across the buildings they looked back and forth, again seeing nothing.

"This is definitely getting creepier," said Susan aloud, voicing her own growing concerns. The light had faded to the edge of dusk where it became harder to see anything, and with the place abandoned there was little chance of lights coming on to aid them.

"I don't see anything," said Clay, looking back and forth to make sure that no one was there to jump them.

"The tracker is being interfered with," announced Garrett, "I can't get a clear signal."

"Interfered with by what?" asked the question she and the others were thinking.

Garrett lowered the tracker away from his face, and put it back in his pocket, "We better split up."

"That is the worst idea anyone has ever come up with," replied Clay, as he stood there looking at the other two. He knew if he ran into Riftoids, that that would be the end of him.

"We're going to be able to cover more ground that way," responded Garrett. "Here take this." He removed a blaster from his coat, presumably the same blaster that Susan had used before when they had been attacked by the Riftoids in the shop. Clay took it reluctantly, and held it in his left hand, the cool plastic, and metal of the grip chilling his hand. Garrett pointed out the three directions they would all take, and slowly they split up.

As Garrett began searching his part of the facility, he once again brandished the tracker, hoping that the device would reactivate, and clear up. The signal was a little clearer, but at the same time, it was still foggy, not locking on but giving a general direction. Susan on the other hand was a little less lucky with direction. She had no idea what she was looking for, or what they might find in the fading light. The only light they really had now was the city nightscape slowly pouring in around them as the buildings began to be illuminated with the dark. She was scared, even though she knew she could handle herself, she still didn't like surprised. She moved cautiously, her eyes darting around defensively looking for the slightest movement.

Clay though was immediately concerned when he found movement. It wasn't Riftoids though. In front of him was clearly the form of a man, but he seemed hunched over, walking away from Clay. Slowly the young man moved down the row, trying very carefully not to startle the man, nor give away his presence. He didn't know if the person was one of the missing Rangers or what, only that he was there, and so were they. With the darkened sky, Clay couldn't make out much of the man, only that he was in fact a man. It took til he was nearly on top of him to see that he was pushing a cart, and that the man was a lot older than he originally thought. He could see the frayed edges of a grayish beard on the man's worn jacket as he slowly pushed the cart in front of him. He was one of the city's homeless that had merely found his way into the facility, probably using one of the storage lockers as a home, or a sleeping area. Relieved that the person wasn't dangerous, Clay made his presence known, "Sir."

The man spun around with a look of surprise on his face, but it didn't startle Clay. He expected some sort of reaction to his sudden appearance, but instantly the man's eyes fell to the blaster that he was carrying. Clay followed the man's gaze to his hand, and rolled his eyes, lowering the weapon in the process. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"Go away," said the man in a hollow, worn out voice. "This stuff is mine."

"I'm not here for your stuff," said Clay sharply. "We're just looking for something. Have you seen this strange looking disc thing?"

"Go away," the man repeated, "this is mine."

Clay clenched his hands in frustration, and let out a loud groan of frustration. Reaching into the pocket of his pants, and pressing the blaster between his side, and arm, he retrieved his wallet, and started fishing for the little money he had inside it. "Look, you can have all this," he said producing a wad of bills, "if you can give me the weird disc thingie." The man slowly eyed the money, and as he did, Clay caught something out of the corner of his eye, beyond the man and coming towards them. Riftoids. "Take it."

The man reached out and took the money, and then slowly began fishing in his car for something. Clay rolled his eyes, and moved beyond the cart to place himself between the man and the Riftoids. He brandished the blaster, and leveled it at the creatures, and fired two shots, both of them missing. He cursed softly as the man let out a gasp of surprise. Clay turned to see the man holding the disc, but he dropped it quickly, and grabbed his cart, and took off on the other direction. "Yeah, run, good idea." Clay swept downwards, and took the disc off the ground following behind the man, turning briefly to fire at the enemies that were closing on him. He again missed, cursed, and then decided to do something smart. "GARRETT!"

The man beyond him kept going, but as Clay reached the main lane, he found Susan and Garrett waiting for him. He rallied with them, and they turned to face the approaching combatants ready to fight them. "Found them."

"Any sign of the signal?" asked Susan, not taking her eyes off the Riftoids.

"Found this too," said Clay holding out his hand with the disc laying in it.

"Not another Ranger," said Garrett softly. "Well, better get to work. Put it over your wrist."

"What, me?" asked Clay in shock. "No f'in way man. I don't do this kind of thing." He pulled his hand away, but realized he was still clutching the disc tightly.

"You do now," said Garrett looking at him sternly. "If you hadn't notice they're a lot more than before, and three versus that many is going to be a lot better than two. I need your help cuz."

Clay looked at his cousin, and shook his head, mostly in frustration. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to be this, he just wanted to run his shop. He glared at his cousin, but slowly he raised his left wrist, and placed the disc over it. "I must really like you." The disc expanded outwards, and wrapped around his wrist forming a similar bracelet as Garrett and Susan now wore.

Garrett turned his attention back to the Riftoids who were nearly on top of them. A small grin slowly passed over his face, something he wasn't going to admit to anyone even if they asked. He hadn't felt this proud in a long time, not since the first time he put his morpher on. "You guys ready?"

"Ready," they both echoed back.

He hadn't been in this place before, hadn't been this person before, but now he was, and now the ball was in his court. "Sentinel Power."

"Charge UP!" they all echoed in unison. They clenched their hands around the small disc that had formed in their hands, and slowly the three of them morphed. Energy, followed by armor covered their bodies, and suddenly they were fully clothed in Ranger gear. Garrett, and Susan, now the Black and Red Rangers turned briefly to see Clay standing there in Blue armor, standing defensively, and ready to go into battle, a vast difference from several moments before. Quickly they turned back to the Riftoids, and slowly Garrett reached down, and pulled his blaster out. The other two did the same, and the three leveled their blasters, aimed, and fired.

Energy bolts rang out from the weapons, and screeched through the air, each of them finding their own mark, and sending three Riftoids flying to the ground. Their path illuminated the surroundings around them as they flew towards the targets, bringing light to the storage chambers doors, and the dark recesses inside. They were like tiny xenon headlights coming at the Riftoids. Satisfied with the results, the Rangers advanced forward, and jumped full force into the melee combat, each brandishing their weapons.

Garrett was the first to strike with a long sword in his hand. His slashes were quick, and precise, straight down the side of the Riftoids, each slash sending sparks into the darkness of night. To him, the night vision of the helmet provided all the sight he needed to strike at his foes amongst the darkness. As three or four surrounded him, he quickly dispatched them. First a horizontal slash to the one in front of him, and then he turned as the one to his left swung its arm forward. He blocked it with his off hand, and then spun the other way around to slash it from its belt line to its shoulder on the opposite side of its body, sending it spinning backwards. The last one kicked at his head, and he placed his hand up by his helmet to let the impact fall on it, crouching towards the side as he did. He pushed the leg back off the hand, and then thrusted his sword forward, slamming into the creature's chest.

Leaping into a group of them, Susan too found herself surrounded. She blocked a punch with her staff, and then a kick from another. Thrusting forward, she connected with the chest of one, and then ducked under another's punch, bringing the staff into the creature's midsection. As one attempted to sneak up on her from behind, she thrusted backwards, and managed to stab the Riftoid in the chest, forcing it backwards and to the ground. Bringing the staff up, and over her head, she twirled it above her, using both her hands, and then brought down onto the shoulder of another.

Clay moved forward slowly into the battle, still unsure of his role on the field of combat. A smaller than normal blue axe blade rested on his shoulder, his hand on the grip of the weapon, waiting to swing it, as the remaining creatures swarmed towards him. He gave them only a small amount of room, before he slashed out, bringing the blade of his weapon down on the shoulder of one, forcing it to collapse to the ground. Spinning behind him, he was lucky to catch the one coming up on him, and time, and slashed the legs out from under it, causing it to fall to the ground. Three more remained in front of him. Spinning the weapon he held forward, he grabbed one of the opened parts of the inner caste that held the blade, he found the thing he was looking for, a trigger. The grip of the weapon doubled as a barrel for a laser cannon, which he pointed at the three creatures in front of him, and fired. Explosions formed around the creatures, along with the sparks, sending the creatures flying back to the ground.

The other Rangers regrouped around Clay, the newest Ranger, and stood behind him, as Clay leveled the axe back on his shoulder, the blade pointing upwards. He watched as the bodies of their fallen enemies seem to vanish into the night, probably disappearing back into the rift they had come from. Clay looked forward, still absorbed in the focus of battle, his mind slowly returning to the normal peaceful state it was normally in. His breathing was heavy, his muscles were tense, and slowly he began to consider what this turn events meant for him. His voice rang out clearly in the night, "Power Down." The others followed suit, and again the three young people stood quietly in the night.

"You alright?" asked Garrett, his question directed to his cousin.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Yeah, I'll be alright. Everything just caught me off guard…it just moved so fast y'know?"

"Yeah," said Garrett, a small grin playing on his face. "It happens like that some times."

"We should take off guys," said Susan seriously. "No use hanging around here, especially if they decide to come back." She slowly turned, and so did Garrett, heading back the way they came. Clay stood a moment longer, his gaze still in the same spot before. His thoughts though were to the new weight on his wrist, and what it meant for him now that everything changed. He realized for a split second that he now had an opportunity unlike anything he had ever had before. It was a chance to change who he was, his very core, but only if he started now. There would be no chance later, he would be to set in his ways. This insight came for but a split second, before he pushed it out of his mind, and slowly turned to join the others.

Audio Track – DJ Tiesto "Battleship Grey"

It was the next morning, when he slowly opened the door to the garage to slowly bring in the project for the day. He could hear his cousin moving around behind him, organizing tools and parts that they might need to fix this latest job. He had slept quietly last night, calmly, unlike he had in nights past. For some reason everything seemed less important on his mind then it had before. He could feel a huge weight lifted from his shoulders but still he couldn't understand why. Something had changed inside of him, but he couldn't tell what.

As the sun burst into the shops, so too did the sounds of the city. It was almost peaceful, the way it could be sometimes, but that peace was shortly broken. It was the sound of a shot, a gun going off somewhere nearby, and it was faint, and distant, he imagined Garrett probably didn't hear it. It was the sound of another act against another human taking place in the neighborhood he was in now. He took a step out into the light, and then another, but his path took him in a different direction, to the door of the car he was going to work on. He put his hand on the handle, and paused as he could hear the sound of a siren in the distance, a sound he was now acclimated too. He looked at the door handle, and in the reflection of the paint he could see the fight across the street he had seen the day before, the memory playing back through his eyes. He felt the calling, felt the need to go, to go after it, but something stopped him, something from before, something inside him. He could feel the weight of the morpher on his wrist, the coolness of the metal, but instead of reaching for it, he pulled the door opened, and got into the car. He sat in the seat, and slowly the engine started, as he pulled the car into the shop to begin work for the day.

**The End**

Closing Theme – Red Jump Suit Apparatus "Face Down"


End file.
